200 pounds later, how are 2009 Fittest Losers doing now?

In 12 weeks, five contestants in the Daily Herald's Fittest Loser contest lost a total of almost 200 pounds.

Eight months later, they have kept it off.

The contest, sponsored by Push Fitness of Schaumburg, was life-changing.

No more do the participants ignore exercise, eat fast food and junk food, and overeat late at night.

Now, they credit Push for getting them to work out three or more times a week, for knowing what to eat and not eat, and for snacking on healthy foods to keep from getting too hungry.

The winner has gone so far as to become a fitness trainer herself.

The cop

Lisa Notarnicola, a 47-year-old Hoffman Estates police officer, won the contest in April by dropping 42.5 pounds, or 23 percent of her body weight.

After the challenge, Notarnicola took a month off from working out, then continued twice a week with her trainer at Push, Steve Amsden.

In the summer, she ran and biked almost daily outside, working her way up to running five miles a day, though she'd never been a runner before.

She competed in the Muddy Buddy Ride & Run in Gilberts, which was one of her goals during the contest.

She joined Cardinal Fitness by her home, and now does weight training twice a week, and cardio five days a week.

She hasn't lost any more weight, but has trimmed off 2.5 percent of her body fat.

And now - true to her desire to become a personal trainer when she retires from police work - she has begun training three women in her own home.

She has them do a lot of things Amsden taught her, using her home gym of free weights, a step, LifeCycle, kettle bells, medicine balls and balance balls.

From the contest, she learned, "Success comes from within. You have to be determined and committed to health and fitness. It's not only weights and the cardio, it's the eating. It's a long journey, and I'm still trying to figure it out."

Notarnicola still eats a lot of chicken and fish, and no bread. She had to overcome her emotional desire to eat food for pleasure and reward, and instead sees it more as fuel to keep healthy.

At work, she still teaches Drug Abuse Resistance Education to kids, and will be back on the patrol beat in the new year.

As for the new contestants to come, Notarnicola said, "My biggest advice is have determination; strive for your goals despite the obstacles, because there are going to be many. Keep setting goals."

The principal

Rob Bohanek lost 54.5 pounds, or almost one-fifth of his body weight, during the contest, and got much healthier.

Since then, he's kept doing cardio workouts four or five times a week near his home in St. Charles, and has lost another seven or eight pounds.

He cut his blood sugar from diabetic levels to healthy levels, but more recently had low blood sugar, so is taking supplements to manage it.

His formerly high blood pressure has gotten so low, at 100 over 70, that he doesn't want to lower it anymore.

Before, exercising might be something to dread at age 46, but now, "It's something I can't do without."

Despite all the exercise, he said, from his experience following the advice from Push trainers, "It's what you eat that's most important."

The ex-jock

A former basketball player, Eric Ronzio had always wanted to run a marathon, but after letting himself grow to 288 pounds, it wasn't feasible.

When his children drew his Wii video game character rounder than the others, he knew it was time to get lean.

So he lost 57.5 pound in the contest, 21 percent of his body weight.

This year, the 36-year-old ran and finished the Chicago Marathon, with his family cheering him on.

After the race, he took a month off, ate a little too much of his favorites, pasta and pizza, and gained back 20 pounds.

But now he's back in the routine of working out and watching what he eats.

When people see him around his hometown of Arlington Heights, they still bring up the contest. And the kicker? Now his wife trains at Push Fitness.

To the next contestants, he says, "Take full advantage of the three months they have, because it's an awesome experience not a lot of people get to go through. "

The single mom

Christine Reiss, the youngest contestant, now 29, had the toughest time losing weight, but still shed 17 pounds.

She found it hard to fit in almost-daily exercise with work and trying to see her young daughter at home in Hanover Park.

But she's found a day care at her fitness center where her 6-year-old daughter likes to go and is working out with a small group three or four times a week.

She still keeps a journal of what she eats, as Push trainers got her to do, which makes her more conscientious about what she puts in her mouth.

She now loves foods she thought she hated before, like almonds, which she eats as a nutritious snack.

"The most important thing for me is I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was," she said. "Before, I didn't think I could push myself, but now I know I can. When I go to the gym, I do things I never thought were possible for me physically. It made me believe a lot more in myself."

The working wife

Liesl Ignoffo lost 25 pounds during the contest, and has gained a few pounds back, but is happy, and feeling healthy and full of energy at age 42.

She does cardio workouts three days a week, and follows the Push diet during the week, but not so much on the weekends at home in Hoffman Estates.

For the next Fittest Loser contestants, or anyone trying to lose weight, she says, "Definitely listen to your trainer and put your whole body, heart and soul into the challenge - it's worth it!"

<p class="factboxheadblack">Enter to be a Fittest Loser</p> <p class="News">Are you looking to find your thinner inner self in the new year? We'd like to give you the best shot at making it happen.</p> <p class="News">The Daily Herald and Niche Publications are offering the Fittest Loser Challenge sponsored by Push Fitness in Schaumburg. </p> <p class="News">We are seeking five motivated people to see who can lose the most weight in a 12-week period beginning Feb. 15. Each participant will receive free instruction from a personal trainer and nutritionist to train three to four days a week in Schaumburg.</p> <p class="News">Contestants will be featured in before and after photos and stories highlighting their progress. Results will be measured each week. The Fittest Loser will be chosen based on percentage of weight loss. </p> <p class="News">To apply, go to <a href="http://pushfitnesstraining.com" target="new">pushfitnesstraining.com</a> and click on the Fittest Loser tab at the top of the page. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 15. </p>